SaberCats Fired Up for Season Opener Against Dallas Jackals: ‘We have a good culture’

By Aaron Wilson

Inside of the SaberCats training facility, players vigorously lifted weights Friday morning following their final practice session of the preseason.

There was a lot of energy and anticipation heading into Sunday’s regular-season opener against the Dallas Jackals at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington.

A returning playoff squad that reached the Western Conference finals last season, the SaberCats are upbeat about their outlook heading into a demanding Major League Rugby season.

Although the SaberCats have made several changes to the roster, they return team captain Danny Barrett and second-team all-star Dean Muir with Muir missing this game as he’s back in South Africa with his wife for the birth of their child. Christian Dyer is a vice captain for this game.

The SaberCats had one preseason match, a 34-21 victory over the New England Free Jacks.

“Very excited to play the first game,” SaberCats director Heyneke Meyer said Friday. “Obviously a short preseason, so just a lot to put into place. There’s obviously always mistakes in the first games, but we just have to be focused and play to our standards. Obviously with new players, a lot of combinations haven’t played together. But that’s not an excuse. We’re looking forward to a great game.”

Axel Zapata, a 6-foot-2, 268-pound hooker from Argentina, will fill in during Muir’s absence.

“Axel knows what he has to do,” said Meyer, a longtime coach for the Springboks in South Africa. “He’s a quality player.”

Coached by Pote Human, the SaberCats will face a Jackals team that includes former SaberCats prop Juan Pablo Zeiss.

However, the revamped Jackals finished 0-16 last season.

“Every team has improved,” Meyer said. “The game is more about us than what others do. The start of an away game is always difficult. Every game, we have to perform.

“You always have to respect your opponent. Every game, it’s more what we have to do. We have to play our game.

Dallas, coached by Agustin Cavalieri, has a heavily overhauled roster that includes several former Argentine players. The Jackals lost 45-19 to the New Orleans Gold in a preseason match.

“I think they’re a talented team,” Human said. “They will play a much different style. We don’t know what to expect.”

The SaberCats have added new players, including Dominik Akina, Morgan Mitchell and Pono Davis to go with returning players like Gerrie LaBuschagne, a tall, athletic South Africa native at 6-foot-4, 228 pounds.

“We are very excited,” Human said. “We have a lot of young guys. They’re very positive. We have a good culture. The proof is in the pudding on Sunday.”